Simple Gifts
by Ciderbreak
Summary: Max and Logan find that love can't be scheduled into saving the world.
1. Default Chapter

Max wearily lugged her motorcycle up the stairs to her apartment, trying to be quiet as she wheeled it down the hall. The tires softly crunched over crumpled newspapers, empty bags of chips, and bits of broken glass. No one cleaned up because there was no one to care. They didn't have human waste strewn around, but it was far from neat. It wasn't a slick apartment in Foggle Towers with permanent hot water. No, her home was a condemned building full of desperate squatters hoping to make it through another day, another week. 

Max knocked softly on the door to her apartment, hoping Kendra would be awake. It was only two in the morning on a Saturday night. Hopefully, she'd be up and around and not out with Mr. Multiples or some other flavor of the week. 

"Max! You're back!" Kendra squealed, nearly pulling Max through the door in her glee. She hugged her roommate with arms covered in a bright purple fuzzy robe, then stepped back to look at her face. "What's the matter? You didn't find your friend in Portland?"

"No, I found her." Max wheeled the bike over to the corner and leaned it against the wall. 

"So, did everything work out okay? With her and that guy?"

Max frowned at Kendra's earnest face, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Belatedly, she remembered the story she'd concocted to make the clandestine trip out of state seem plausible: A girl she knew pre-pulse got into a bad situation with a guy who beat her, and Max went down to get her into a safe house. 

In actuality, she was on a mission to find Jondy.

"Yeah, she's in a secure facility now," Max grumbled.

"Facility? So, you got her into a group home, or a shelter?"

"Yeah."

"You don't seem too happy about it," Kendra observed, moving over to the galley kitchen and turning on the hot pot to make tea. 

"It was just so hard to see her in pain and not be able to do anything about it," Max tried to explain. At least that was honest. Seeing Jondy chained up and dragged to a waiting Manticore vehicle was more than she could stand.

"You went above and beyond. I'm sure you're exactly the extra push she needed to get away from that creep."

Max softened, smiling at Kendra. She was a faithful friend and a good roommate and meant well, trying to cheer Max up with encouragement and tea. 

"So, you hold down the fort while I was gone?"

"Had to beat down an army of vultures looking to rent your room," Kendra said dryly. "I may have taken a bribe or two."

"That's the entrepreneurial spirit."

"Want some tea? Unused tea bags?" Kendra dangled two fragrant packets in the air. 

"Mmm. Definitely. I want to hear all the gossip I missed while I was away, and then I'm gonna crash, big time."

"Well," Kendra said, her voice rising in a teasing way. "Original Cindy kicked it with a girl who turned out to be Sketchy's sister."

"What?!" Max crowed. "No way!"

"Don't worry, Jeanie looks nothing like Sketchy."

"Thank God! That would be a horror movie waiting to happen."

"Don't worry, she's cool."

"They serious?"

"Original Cindy? Nah, just having fun, making Sketchy's life miserable, that kind of thing. Jeanie's in town for a couple of weeks. What about you, stopped by Logan's yet?"

"Kendra, it's the middle of the night. And don't think I didn't notice you turning the talk like that. What's up with the matchmaking?"

"Nothing, I just like to see you happy. Plus, he's rich and cute and way into you. He stopped by while you were away with some lame ass excuse about needing something back that he lent you. I think he just missed you."

Kendra had the wistful look in her eye, but Max was instantly on alert. Logan, here? Prowling through her room? She forced herself to remain calm, her face betraying none of her emotion. Kendra filled her in on the world she'd missed while she was away and she listened attentively, trying not to think of Logan Cale. Kendra and Original Cindy were the peeps she should miss, not the underground cyberjournalist who only called her when he needed a favor. 

"Well, that's it," Kendra finished, plunking her mug down on the counter. "You can go to your room now and dream about—"

"Shut up," Max warned. 

"Okaaay," Kendra said in a singsong voice. She hugged Max, who almost hugged her back, and skipped off to her room. Max rolled her eyes as far back in her head as they could go. 

Her room was exactly the way she'd left it: pants and shirts neatly stacked in two piles in a crate, underwear tossed in another crate, making a tangled nest of colored fabric. Kendra hadn't moved or cleaned anything as far as she could tell. Her mattress had a single, threadbare bottom sheet and one blanket, and seemed to audibly call her name. She'd been without sleep for two weeks while she searched for Jondy in Portland, and was reaching her engineered limit. She'd have to sleep to reenergize, because tomorrow she'd have to go back to Jam Pony and pretend everything worked out. Pretend that Jondy wasn't trapped and dragged away fighting while Max watched in silence, biting down on her fist to keep from screaming. 

Her head hit the pillow and hit something hard. Max sat up, turned on her flashlight, and grabbed the offending item, which turned out to be a small box with a blue ribbon. Her name was printed on the top of the box in capital letters. She knew it had to be from Logan, but she still held it up to her ear to listen for ticking, an automatic gesture she hadn't lost from her youth. She took off the ribbon, opened the box, and read the note.

"Dear Max," she read aloud. "When I saw this, I thought it was something you'd fence, so I got it for you. I'd love to meet Jondy when you get back. Let me know and I'll make dinner for the three of us. Logan."

Not "love" Logan or "Sincerely" Logan, just—Logan. 

"What's in the box?" Kendra's whispered voice came from the crack in the doorway. Max jumped and guiltily shoved the box and the note back underneath her pillow.

"Kendra!"

"Don't keep me in suspense," Kendra begged, coming into Max's room and sitting cross-legged on the end of the mattress. "I saw him put it there when he came to visit."

"Fine," Max sighed. She reached underneath the pillow, retrieved the present and handed it to Kendra. "I'm not keeping it."

"Oh, yes you are," Kendra said, taking out the ring that was nestled in a bit of cotton. "Is this platinum?"

"Sterling silver with lapis lazuli. The craftsmanship and original design means he didn't get it off a street vendor, but I could hock it for a couple of Franklins."

"Max."

"Two-fifty, maybe."

"Max! Give me your hand."

"It's such a girly girl present," Max protested, sitting on her hands. "Logan thinks he can creep into my personal space and do the secret stalker thing, but I'm not his schoolyard crush. He doesn't know anything about me." 

"So he gives you a present that isn't expensive enough to get you mugged and too gorgeous to sell. I'd say he knows you pretty well." 

"Whatever."

"I think he's falling in love with you," Kendra said very softly, handing her back the ring. 

Max turned very pale and bit down on her lower lip. She held the ring up to the window so the trickle of moonlight could make the silver shine. The blue stones winked at her, reminding her of Logan's eyes. Had he done that on purpose? Either way, Kendra was right about the status of the ring. It was safe to wear as long as she could take the heat from her friends. But about the falling in love part… Eyes Only didn't have time for love. Neither did she.

"Maybe I should just bang him and get rid of all the tension. Then y'all can go live vicariously through someone else."

"Logan Cale isn't a one-night stand, Max," Kendra said, smiling. She got up and left Max to brood alone in the darkness. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Simple Gifts

Max skipped the afternoon shift at Jam Pony and went straight to the Crash to hook up with her friends. Normal agreed to give her two weeks off in exchange for saving his life from the art gangsters, so she wasn't worried about her job. She was worried about her friends, and what they would pry out of her concerning her trip. She didn't want to lie to them any more than she had to. She also didn't want to relive the experience, which was still pretty raw. 

"Back and badder than ever. Where'd you score those jewels, as if Original Cindy doesn't know the answer to that." Cindy smiled, her arms crossed. Max shrugged and pushed a chair out from the table with her foot, inviting Cindy to sit. They snagged another chair for Herbal, who was at the bar getting drinks. The ring fit on the middle finger of her right hand and she wasn't going to try and hide it. 

"It's just a welcome back present. It doesn't mean anything."

"Mmhmm," Cindy said in disbelief. "And when you flossed over to the ivory tower to thank the boy, I'm guessing you slammed him a nice thank you?"

"Who's our girl slammin' wit?" Herbal chimed in, coming around the corner wearing his biggest grin.

"No one," Max insisted. "We're not like that. Now give me a beer."

"But you did thank him, right?" Cindy pressed her. "Your man was like a mother hen this week. Walked into Jam Pony three times to see if you were back. Normal threatened to give him a job."

"I haven't seen him yet. Had to hang with you sorry excuses for riders. Look at Sketchy."

Their attention turned to Sketchy for a few seconds while he botched a half-twist jump on the performance table. However, Cindy wouldn't let the topic go, and Herbal sat back to watch the action. When Max got riled up she sometimes threw things. Maybe it would be one of those wild nights. 

"So, you're going over there after the Crash closes?"

"I'll see him tomorrow," Max shrugged. "No big dealio."

"Original Cindy ain't never seen her girl wiggin' like this over a man."

"I am _so_ not," Max countered lamely. Herbal patted her arm.

"You like him, he likes you, it's all good for a late-night love."

"Exactly," Cindy agreed. "It's about time you two stopped the prelims and got to the final set."

"I have to agree with Original Cindy on this one, my girl," Herbal said. "You and Mr. Hen don't have dialogue, you have foreplay."

Max was trying to wrap her tired brain around their accusations, but her mind was about three sentences behind, ruminating on something Cindy had said about Logan visiting Jam Pony. Had she said he _walked_ in to see her? When she left, he was standing for short periods of time but wasn't walking. Bling couldn't have him walking in two weeks, could he? 

"Did you say Logan walked into Jam Pony to see me? As in, not wheelchair-bound?" Max asked.

"Man had braces, but yeah, he was among the bipeds. Don't let this one go just 'cause he's rich and pretty and gives you presents and appears to be falling in love with you, aiight?"

"Kendra said the same thing."

"Love happens," Herbal said wisely.

**If saving the world and hiding from Manticore don't get in the way** Max thought cynically.

"What if he's not into me like that?" Max muttered. 

"He is," Herbal said.

"What if we hit it and then he just wants to be friends?"

"Ain't no way in hell."

"Y'think?"

"Original Cindy knows. You let that man do what he's been wanting to do since the day he met you and we'll have to pour you onto your bike in the morning."

Max fiddled with her ring while she contemplated that, and finally turned Herbal's wrist to check his watch. It was late enough for Logan to be finished dinner. He was probably in front of the computer, hacking away. She would probably be a welcome distraction. Still, she didn't feel up to reporting the Portland recon and its tragic outcome. He'd immediately hop on the computer and try to trace the vehicle that took Jondy, figure out if there was any way to spring her free from Manticore before they started reprogramming her. Eyes Only would take over and Max's heart would be left on the floor. She was trained to hide her emotions and be a good little soldier. But if she were honest, she would admit that she missed him so much it hurt, that that scared her, and that she would avoid the confusing feelings until the last possible nanosecond. Coward.

"You really like Logan?" Max needed to know.

"He's aiight," Original Cindy allowed, but there was a smirk behind her casual demeanor. It was as much of a compliment Logan Cale would ever get from her.

"Go," Herbal urged her. "We will drink our measly paychecks another night."

"Peace." Max said goodbye and hurried out of the club. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The vulnerable, scared feeling left as soon as she straddled her Ninja and sped off into the night. By the time Max got to the penthouse, she was brimming with energy and excitement at seeing Logan. She crept in on silent feet, knowing he'd be at his computer. To his credit, he didn't jump when she leaned against the doorframe, crossed her arms, cocked her head and said "hey" in a casual voice. He swiveled around in his chair and gave her an enormous grin that lit up his eyes and made her heart melt. 

"Welcome back."

"Thanks for the welcoming committee," Max said, holding up the hand with the ring on it. "If I go away for a month you think you can scrounge up some motor oil?"

"I'll check my sources. What made you stop by?"

"Oh, just came to see if you needed any help with your rehab."

"Bling's got that under control."

"I meant… motivationally," Max said, slowly looking him up and down. He returned the favor and his grin got downright goofy.

Max thought about what Herbal had said about their conversations being mostly foreplay and had to agree with him. In the twenty seconds she'd been in Logan's presence she'd fantasized about ripping his clothes off four times, with variations on the sex that came after. Those thoughts were squelched when she remembered why she came over in the first place.

"You were right about Jondy," Max said, staying in the doorway. "She was running a shelter for runaways in Portland. We got to talk a little—I think she thought I lived in Portland too the way she kept talking about streets like I knew them."

"She's not here," Logan stated the obvious.

"More men than I could fight—I'm assuming Lydecker's goons—cornered her in the youth center and dragged her away screaming at the top of her lungs. We both knew it was tactical suicide for me to reveal myself so I stayed with the kids and tried to rein in the chaos. Followed the van for a while, but lost it at the border. So I'm back."

"Max, I'm so sorry."

"Why? It was a good lead. At least I know she's alive and well. Or, she was until they got her. So, you wanna run a check on the van's plates?"

"Maybe later," Logan said, concerned at her lack of emotion. "Max, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she lied.

Logan stood up and reached for his arm braces. The crutches helped him take three slow but sure steps over to where Max stood, and then he leaned them up against the wall so he'd have his arms free to hug her. She wasn't looking him in the eye, though, and he was afraid she'd bolt if he touched her. Something had to break down her defenses before she became completely unreachable. He reached out a hand and brushed some of her dark, silken curls behind her ear. His fingers remained on her neck, softly stroking the sensitive skin below her ear as his thumb brushed over her full lips. He felt the shudder go through her an instant before she leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder.

Logan was taller than Max, but no so much that her head didn't fit perfectly in the soft space between his neck and shoulder. Her arms came around him a second after he embraced her, reveling in the feel of being able to hold her full length against him. They'd made out once with Max on his lap in the wheelchair, but it was uncomfortable in more ways than one. This way, his hands were free to roam all the way down her back and he took advantage of that, lightly skimming the seat of her pants to see if she'd object. 

Max didn't object. She felt like she was in heat, which she knew wouldn't happen until the following week. Her nerve endings stood up and danced a tango when he touched her, surprising since he hadn't even kissed her. He was just holding her, running his hands over her hair, her back, the backs of his fingers along the side of her face so tenderly she wanted to weep. Maybe that's what she needed to do. Just let go of some of that emotional energy she couldn't sleep off. See if Eyes Only could handle a full-on hysterical female chimera. 

Logan chose that moment to brush his lips over her temple. Max eagerly picked her face up to be kissed, but he was just content to look at her, roving his eyes around her created features like he'd just invented the wheel. 

"I don't wanna go slow," she choked out, reading his mind. "I just want you."

"Ah," Logan stammered, and actually blushed. "Slight resource problem in the defense department."

"Eyes Only, man who defies the black market to get oranges and real china, can't get condoms?" Max teased lightly. 

"I had a stash," he confessed, the blush leaving his handsome face. "But I bribed Kendra with them to let me into your room. Kind of ironic, now that I think about it."

Max smiled, pleased that Kendra had put up a fight for her and also that Logan had just admitted his mind was moving in the same direction as hers. She ran her fingertips over his face, scratching the hair on his cheek with her nails. God, he was beautiful.

"No big dealio," she said casually. "There are other things we can do… if you shave, that is."

"Max," Logan said in exultation, pressing a hard kiss to her mouth. She gasped a little at the force of pleasure that jolted her entire body, opening her mouth to make the kiss hotter, faster, combustible. The man could kiss. Seriously. Max pulled away for air several long minutes later, surprised to see his shirt unbuttoned and her shirt completely missing. She looked down at her bra, both glad she'd worn the pretty black one and wondering when she'd lost her shirt. 

"Damn, Logan, you sure can distract a girl," she grinned, reaching for his belt with a 'take no prisoners' look in her eye. Logan laughed and covered her hands with his, gently stopping her.

"Want me to lose the scruff, right?" he said, and reached for his braces. Max proudly watched him slip his arms down the metal and grasp hold of the bars, knowing he was making a remarkable recovery. She was still in shock at seeing him upright, but walking was making her mind spin. He moved slowly towards the bathroom and promised to be out shortly.

Max didn't know how long he'd take, and used the time to slip out of her clothes and into his bed. The sheets were cool against her skin and smelled like Logan. When Logan emerged from the bathroom wearing his boxer shorts, Max scooted up and propped her head up on her hand. 

"Nice," she appraised him coolly. "I liked the scruffy, dangerous look, but, y'know."

"I know," Logan told her, patiently moving towards the bed. It was pleasant shock to reach his hand out and find nothing but Max beneath the sheets, though in the back of his head was a thought that he'd have to undress her inch by inch the next time. 

Next time. 

"Max," he began, trailing his fingers up and down the curve of her arm, "I know I'm going to say this wrong, but I have to try."

"Don't tell me not everything's been fixed in rehab," she teased him gently.

"That was never a problem," Logan said evenly. "I just want you to know that I care for you very deeply and I want things to work out between us. Our relationship."

"Writing love notes and making up when we fight instead of hauling ass out of town, right? Sharing our innermost secrets? Word on the street is that Max Guevara is on the icy side of the Pacific."

Logan mourned the hurt in her voice, bitterness left over from her last boyfriend. He obviously couldn't have been a great evolutional specimen. 

"You don't feel cold to me," he told her, moving his hand lower and watching her eyes grow dark with desire. "I'm saying I like your heart and I want to see more of it and I'm not going to push you. I just want you to…"

"To love you back," Max finished his sentence. "You can say the word, Logan, I'm not gonna bolt. I know there's something between us other than a fling. I get practically non-verbal before we get together for dinner—I actually try on more than one outfit. And sometimes when you page me, I get so nervous I feel sick. Kendra says I might be suffering from the whole love thing. I told her it's a suffering I don't mind, as long as you're in it with me. Are you…?"

"One hundred percent," Logan promised. "We'll figure it out."

"Together."


End file.
